By Patricia Kime
Retired Marine Capt. David Winnett is grateful for his Tricare health program, which keeps him from having to go to the Veterans Affairs Department to treat his Gulf War-related illnesses.
At the VA, says the moderator of the 10,003-member Facebook group Gulf War Illnesses, veterans often are sent to mental health providers when they show up with symptoms considered classic of Gulf War illness, such as gastrointestinal dysfunction, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, profound fatigue and cognitive issues.
Winnett said more than 300 veterans responded to an informal survey he posted to the group asking whether they had been referred by VA to mental health professionals instead of having their physical health problems addressed and treated.
“All over the country, it’s the same thing being reported. These people walk into a VA hospital or clinic and either the physicians don’t know about Gulf War illness or they pretend they don’t know and the veteran ends up in the psych ward,” said Winnett, who has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome that began after his 1991 deployment.
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